Frantsiya
by saketini
Summary: Canonverse, November 1862. France calls a meeting with Russia and England to discuss European intervention in the American Civil War. England's a jealous thing with confused emotions and the meeting goes fabulously. One-sided UKUS and potentially more than platonic RusAme. Based on researched historical fact, no less.


_Why yes, I am the kind of person to write a fic about the American Civil war without America simply to prove a point. _

_Also, angry red-faced and jealous Arthur is a personal favorite. Baby, no._

* * *

_November 1862_ ~

France tugged his hair over his shoulder so he could fiddle with the ribbon that bound it.

"If you truly consider him your friend, I see no reason why we cannot agree to mediate the mess."

"_Nyet._ You see exactly why that is not an option, _Frantsiya_."

"It will offer stability to the situation. Certainly you have a personal investment in seeing the end of this," he tugged harder, a tick born of irritation.

"Not stability, instability. That is what you are after and what you offer. We are not all blind to your eyes as they rove across Mexico. Nor of _Angliya_'s on the potential expansion of the twin he retains."

"That wording was uncalled for!"

"As if you do not have your own motives beyond friendship to seek a restoration of his union?" France flipped his hair back, shifting a glance towards an uncomfortable England, _de facto _representative of the British Empire, in the process, "He acts as your counterbalance to our _Angleterre." _

"Your nothing, Frog."

France permitted himself a full sigh at that response. His Napoleon III had called upon the three empires to meet and discuss their roles as potential mediators in the American Civil War. While their bosses corresponded in a meeting room, they had been sent off to a private dinner and now sat in the drawing room with after-dinner tea and coffee. He and England were officially neutral, but Russia had declared himself a friend of the Union. While the Russians did not actively declare war against the Confederacy, they were rejecting all attempts to mediate the situation and had left a few of their ships in American waters as visible reminders.

"I fail to understand why our mediating his war would be so objectionable to you," he tried again.

"It is at _Amerika_'s expense. In mediating, you would recognize his southern states as existing independently of him. You would recognize their existence as one worth negotiating with. You would recognize their false gains as valid."

"Hardly, we would simply -"

"You would 'simply' be seeking a reopening of the Confederacy's ports for cotton trading and a temporary armistice."

"Those are hardly criminal desires, _Russie._"

"They would offer the southern states a chance to regroup and a source of outside financial support. _Amerika_ would -"

"Would likely also benefit from a break in the fighting. Do you enjoy seeing your friend coughing up blood at our meetings? Surely you've seen more intimately than us the seam opening above his hips?"

France again spared a glance to England, who had been curiously silent throughout the affair. He had assumed he was more likely to gain support for the idea from him than from Russia, but his sometimes ally seemed more inclined towards isolation.

"What say you, _Angleterre_? Do you not have an opinion? Would you rather turn to your sewing kit and stitch up the pieces where they fall?"

"I, like you, have declared neutrality in this situation. Had you forgotten?" England sniffed and reached for his tea.

"I had not forgotten, but unlike you I cannot turn to India and Egypt for cotton."

"Than trade with me for the finished product. Remember my factories? Your memory seems to be failing you tonight."

France didn't "grunt" at that, no, but he did suffer from an involuntary and rather aggressive sigh that might have been misconstrued as one. _Perhaps Angleterre has stretched himself too thin? With his wars across the continent into India and China, ah, no, what's that he's fingering?_

England was rather absentmindedly running his finger along the corner of what appeared to be a letter that was peeking out of his pocket.

_That looks familiar. If I cannot win this argument I should at least have a little fun with that, hmm?_

"So you will choose to ignore what is happening across the Atlantic? I saw your apparent acceptance of his Monroe Doctrine as strange enough, but it appears you are simply ignoring him now that he is no longer yours."

"That's not the case, Frog," the paper was crumpling in his irritated grip, "his Doctrine was hardly worth acknowledging as I would rather look East. As for the current situation, allow me to repeat my stance of _neutrality_."

"And the _CSS Alabama_ was hardly neutral," _ding!_ Disgruntled English sputtering and the rustling of an angry American letter being shoved back into a pocket was his only response.

"I believe _Amerika_ has advised you both that if you aid or recognize the Confederacy he will declare war in response. Given the faulty memory of those in attendance, I would also like to remind you that the _Rossiyskaya Imperiya_ will not allow its closest friends to fight alone."

"Of that we are well aware, Russia. The _Alabama_ is an incident that will not be repeated. It was also never meant to be anything more than a simple shipbuilding order."

"From the Confederacy."

"Yes, _Angleterre,_ and it is only gone as it was sunk rather violently off of my shores, hmm?"

"Whose side are you _on_, Frog?"

"The side of peace, naturally!"

Although seeing the Confederate ship burn in a spectacular battle was entertaining, it did not hold a candle to the violent shouts across the Channel when England had received America's letter. The Englishman's seething glares at a rather smug Russia at their last global meeting had been equally loud in their silence.

_You see, _Angleterre,_ he has run off and made friends without you. Friends that sit rather close to your dearest in meetings and disappear with him afterwards. _

"While you two offer nothing more than unfriendly neutrality to my _Amerika -"_

"Your _nothing_, Russia."

"Well he is hardly yours."

"Is that all you lot talk about?!"

"Well it was a rather interesting affair," France chimed.

"One that is well in the past! Unlike _you, _I do not seek the downfall of an important trading partner."

"Yes, _Angleterre,_ trading partner."

"If you are seeking to imply something that is untrue, bloody well get on with it so that I can declare it false!"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about, _England._"

"Don't. The Russian Empire has refused involvement in this and America has made his stance clear on this issue. The British Empire will not play a part in any mediation of his affairs. Seeing as she is not a recognized nation, the Confederacy's opinions mean nothing in this situation" the letter was back out, the exposed corner noticeably dogeared.

"Do you presume to declare an end to a meeting I requested and that is being held in my home?"

"Merely my involvement in it, Frog. I wish you luck in obtaining European support for the idea without me," he clinked his tea cup rather aggressively against the saucer and stood, shooting Russia another glare before he marched out the door.

"It appears it is just the two of us now. Shall we continue our discussion without him?" France laughed.

"Иди на хуй"

"Charming."

* * *

_The American Civil War, in America at least, seems to be taught as having existed in a vacuum. That was hardly the case. Russia openly supported the Union. The British and French officially declared their neutrality with their elites appearing to occasionally support the Confederacy for trade-related reasons. Luckily for the Union, the British saw no reason to engage in open war with the Americans again and merely increased imports of cotton from their colonies. They actually ended up needing the grain imports from the Union more than the cotton imports from the South. _

_When the British tried to imply we were being tricked by false pretenses of friendship by the Russians, we told them to shove it in _Harper's Weekly:

"John Bull thinks that we are absurdly bamboozled by the Russian compliments and laughs to see us deceived by the sympathy of Muscovy... But we are not very much deceived. Americans understand that the sympathy of France in our Revolution for us was not for love of us, but from hatred of England. They know, as Washington long ago told them, that romantic friendship between nations is not to be expected. And if they had latterly expected it, England has utterly undeceived them."

_America's letter to England about the _CSS Alabama_ would have been closer in wording to Russia's final line up there. _

_If you wanted to read more about the history I have sources at the end of this story on my ao3 account. I'm saketini there as well but there are also links in my profile._

_Message me if I butchered any of the languages, love you all!_


End file.
